Birding may be the ultimate Lei’d back activity.  No, Lei'd Back and activity should not be in the same sentence, but you can do it while laying in a hammock, sipping an ACB, anytime you want to take a break from the demands of life, or you can get serious and hike into the wilds with telescope or binoculars or both and a library of books to identify what you see. That borders on fanatism, but if that’s what you like, enjoy.  The IDing is a little over the hill for me.  I am intrigued once in a while to know just what was that brilliance of color, flying spectacle, or maker of that beautiful musical sound, but usually I just enjoy and go on my way.  I have enough experience, been around enough people who really know the birds they see and hear, and yes, once in a while find what I saw in the book to make an identification.  I do know the large water wading birds. They’re large enough to fill the frame of my camera and it’s easy to see their performance.  Occasionally I’m treated to seeing a Virginia Rail in the saw grass on the Bayside around BJ’s or Fager’s Island and here on 28th street and the Bay, Oyster Catchers, a big white bird with black wings and big orange bill, perform regularly.
    Observing birds is one of my favorite passtimes and of many people I see as I meander through the warm parts of the country in January to May.  Bird photos with the most impact do not need to depict rare species, but it helps catch the viewer’s eye.  You need exceptional light, usually given by nature in the early morning or late afternoon, a cloudy day, or the subject in solid shade.  Harsh sun light, like at noon, will cause contrasty, lack of detail, and washed out colors.  Get as close as you can, but not so close that you scare the creature away, so the bird is full frame and you are taking advantage of all the megapixels.  Compose the picture (“portrait”) so the bird has room to move in the picture.  Use tree limbs where it’s perched, the wings or body lines to lead to the head, which should be the focus paramount with the eye being the pinnacle.  If the bird is not moving, use as slow a shutter speed as you can.  If the camera is hand held, that’s 1/90 of a second or slower with image stabilization.  This will allow an aperture (lens opening) of F11-22, which will produce detail you will be pleased with. In-flight photos are always my favorite challenge.  Portrait rules are not possible, but sharpness of focus is needed, at least for the eye.  Wings or the body being out of focus can create the feeling of motion which can create an image that stands out from the group.  To do this, a shutter speed is necessary of 1/500 of second or faster causing a larger aperture resulting in less detail and blurring of the background. Shoot a bunch of pictures, because birds are quick and not all will work.  Of course, be at the right location and have plenty of time, so you can wait for nature to perform.  If you can capture more than one bird or unique behavior always helps, too.  A bird in the foreground of landscape or sunrise/set really sets it off.  Spectacular pink of a spoonbill, soaring of frigate birds, and Pelicans flying in formation at sunrise in the Florida Keys; astounding size of an Eagle, call of the Barred Owl, brilliance of a Wood Duck’s color, the drama of a water bird catching and devouring a fish, and Sand Hill Cranes whizzing by me at eye level at dawn in the Everglades at Big Cypress; the echo of a Canyon Wren in Big Bend N.P. Tx., seeing familiar DelMarva water birds at an oasis in the Arizona desert at Buenos Aires NWR, and watching the lil jets, hummingbirds, at Organ Pipes Cactus N.M certainly add spice to my travels.
    Some of these are on this page; others are at http://picasaweb.google.com/o.c.fotoguy2009; and some are just memories. Good Luck with your photographic captures. Don’t let it get you down, keep your eye on the ball, and enjoy because you only go around once!